The Legend of Charalia
by Kumachao
Summary: A young hero named Chao has finally returned home from saving his country from an evil tyrant for some much needed rest...but then, another adventure arises just as quickly as the last one ended. According to legend, he must assemble an army of friends to defeat a greater evil. Chao's done worse than making friends, but will it be as easy as it sounds? OC heavy, T just in case.
1. Ch1 - Brothers, Unite!

Thanks for stopping by to read this. Please, review! Also, there's an author's note at the bottom.

**The Charalian Legends**

Chapter 1: Brothers, Unite!

_"The light…Chao…remember…take care…of your brothers…make new friends…lead a happy life." _

Those were the last words Chao had heard his father say to him before his father died. Ever since then, Chao knew he couldn't change the past. What was done was done. He had to suck it up and press on. And press on he did…somehow, he had managed to not only to defeat the sinister mastermind behind his father's death, but also save his entire country. He never thought he could do it, but he knew he had to keep trying until the very end. But once he had reached the lair of the man responsible for it all…Chao fought and defeated the villain, but couldn't bring himself to kill him. Chao just left him there, and he couldn't explain why…he just couldn't solve violence with more violence, no matter how much he wanted to.

Chao didn't know very much about the man; all Chao knew was that the man's last name was Starlight. After Chao had defeated him, he disappeared.

Chao couldn't help but recap all that had happened since that fateful night of his father's death as Chao walked through the flowery plains of South Charalia, Chao's home country. He also couldn't help but think about how similar his life was to that of his favorite legendary hero-Link, from the ancient legends of Zelda. Chao strongly admired the character Link to the point of wearing the same signature hat and using the same type of weapon and shield as him. But Chao's emulation of Link's style was not in vain – with it, he managed to defeat an enemy that nobody else could.

After a few minutes, after keeping a steady walking pace while lost in thought, Chao tripped over a small fence, flipped, and lay flat on his back in someone's backyard, his "emotion-period" promptly turning into an exclamation point as a result. Chao got up, brushed himself off, and sighed. Smiling optimistically nonetheless, he checked his surroundings, and noticed instantaneously that he was in the middle of his city, though somehow he didn't notice as he was walking. Chao looked around, and it was just then when he realized how long he had been gone. He could see why he didn't notice his city as he was walking – it was much more different than when he first left. Probably the biggest difference was the fact that his city was now able to be called a "city" at all – there were many more houses, tall buildings, and people walking around, minding their own business. Chao walked around and explored his modernized neighborhood. Although he couldn't find his own house, he was able to find the house of his closest friend, Dominac, and his brother, Xeg. Luckily, too – who better to ask about what's been going on than them?

Not seeing his friends in a long time, Chao excitedly knocked on the door. And again. And again. Over and over again, impatiently, until somebody answered. Eventually, Chao's best neighborhood friend Dominac answered happily to his impatient friend. Chao recognized his friend's odd face anywhere – he was a green Chao with weird, but cute looking "flops" on the side of his head that strongly resembled dog's ears. Also, being a mage, Dominac always held a staff with a crystal attached to the end.

"I…can't believe it. You're back already..." Dominac said, eyes widened.

"Well, yeah! All adventures have to end sometime!" Chao said, smiling and nodding.

"Xeg, we've got a surprise guest! …Whom I'm bringing in because you hate coming to the door because you're a little lazy!" Dominac yelled back inside his house. Chao could hear a faint voice in response saying, "Yeah, whatever." Chao followed Dominac into his house and into the living room. There, Chao saw Xeg, Dominac's brother, sitting on the sofa, surfing channels as if he wasn't even looking for something to watch. Xeg didn't look or even act like he was Dominac's brother; Xeg had sinister red eyes, white, demonic horns on the side of his head, and jet black skin. But you can't judge a book by its cover; Xeg was really a friendly guy, despite his look. As soon as he saw Chao, he smiled, but still sat where he was. "Welcome back, Link. Tell me about your journey sometime, 'K?" Xeg passively said. Chao rolled his eyes at Xeg as soon as he called Chao "Link." He got that nickname a lot, though.

"So…well…what's been going on around here?" Chao said, smiling weirdly.

Dominac smiled at him with an awkward silence until he stopped daydreaming. "Oh! Here? Um…y'know…progress…but why waste time talking to me when you could talk to…" Dominac trailed off, like he was ready to say something surprising. "Your brothers!?"

...And he was. "My brothers are visiting!? Awesome! I haven't seen them in a long time…even longer than you! N-not that seeing you would be any less exciting…" Chao said, trying to hide the obvious fact that he was trying to leave ASAP. "Yeah, yeah…just go see them. To be perfectly honest, I've been trying to get rid of you anyway," Dominac noted, smiling. Chao simply nodded, blinked to signify he wasn't listening, and ran out of the house. Suddenly remembering how to find where he lived, Chao ran to his house and stopped in front of the front door panting. Chao rang the doorbell over and over again, waiting even more impatiently for one of his brothers to answer. Finally, his older brother Cham answered the door.

"Finally finished with that cliché adventure of yours, I pray?" Cham remarked, before hugging his long since unseen brother.

"You waited for me? Aw, shucks…" Chao said, breaking away from the hug quickly.

"It was the least I could do. Well, are you going to go see your younger brother or what? I understand if you don't want to though. After all, he is pretty scary."

Chao smiled and ran inside his house to find his brother. His house hadn't changed much, but was surprisingly clean. He figured Cham must've cleaned it. He was pretty much a neat freak. Searching around his quaint abode, Chao couldn't seem to find his younger brother anywhere. He had actually passed Cham a few times, but he just stood there smiling at Chao. Suddenly, Chao's younger brother Tiny-Timmy popped out of a closet and yelled "BOO!" Chao gasped and drew his sword, ready to confront the evils inside of his house. Sadly, there was none-just an irksome little brother who always wore a bandana for some reason.

"HI! I MISSED YOU, CHAO! Hug me NOW!" Tiny-Timmy Chao-or TTC for short, since nobody had the patience to say that-tackled Chao with all of his weight. Which wasn't much.

"…Yeah, I'm glad to see you too, TTC…" Chao promptly shoved TTC off of him, got up, and brushed himself off…just like when he tripped into that house's backyard. Before anything else could happen, TTC began chatting again.

"So, how was it? What was your adventure like? What people did you meet? What enemies did you fight? What items did you find? Did you exact revenge on the big fat loser who killed our dad? Tell me everything, bro."

Cham walked over and put his red baseball cap on TTC's head, revealing Cham's black hair. He was pretty much the only one in his family who wasn't bald, though baldness was normal for chao. "You don't read the paper much, do you?" Cham teased. TTC pouted. "Hmph…reading the newspaper is for old people who can't use the internet." Cham rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Chao, before you get all nostalgic, we have something to tell you. I think you'll like it! Until you think about it for a second and the dark side completely overshadows the bright side!" Cham said, smiling humorously. Chao just smiled at him, blinking.

"Um…well, you know how you're house has, like, two extra bedrooms for no reason?" Chao looked up in thought for a moment and nodded.

"Well, while you were away, we moved in. Hooray! Who wants dinner?" Cham revealed, though trying to weasel out of it because he just remembered that he was hungry.

Chao's eyes widened. Chao expected a visit, sure, but never anticipated his brothers actually moving in with him! "Y-you're moving in!? That's…that's…why?" Chao smiled widely.

"Well…" Cham sighed. "We got a spirit channeler to contact our mom…and she suggested it."

"Oh…" Chao's mom had died long before his father, and thinking about her always made him wince. But it was nice to know there were still ways to contact her.

"Yeah, we've moved, baby! Think of all the adventures we'll have! This is gonna be so totally cool, bro! Like, so totally cool!" TTC babbled. Cham walked over to the kitchen and looked in the fridge.

"I guess I'm making dinner. Who's up for fish?"

Fish. Chao's favorite food. Now that was a warm welcome back.

Author's Note

Pleeeease read this, because if you don't, you'll end up either needing to read it or making a dumb comment...Before you start reading this and wonder why my characters, like Chao (Yes, the main character is named that. You can judge me for a few seconds), are highly unoriginal (which some…ok, MOST of them are, I'll admit), and why every character is an OC, I feel like there are a few things worth noting. Probably the most important thing is that this fanfic is a sequel to another one…that I wrote and finished in 4th grade. On paper. And the entire story is based off of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (With a hint of Twilight Princess here and there). And every character in that was an original character (except for Sonic, who was mostly just abused by monsters, and Mr. Game and Watch…don't ask me why I put _him_ in the story. Truth be told, this fic in particular will probably end up being a cross between Sonic, Zelda, Earthbound, _and_ Shining Force. I just chose the two most prominent series: Sonic because of the chao and Zelda because of the plot. Shining Force is really, _really_ close to beating out Zelda though).

Plus, several of the characters used in this fic are characters I've used in other unoriginal short stories. I may remake that fic later, but the point is…well, making a sequel to an already highly unoriginal story while reusing characters I made in other short stories is going to be a bit tough to make original. Of course. But somehow I managed to create a plot that was somewhat original. Well, most of it. I decided the story was unoriginal enough to post on Fanfiction instead of Fictionpress, so that says something, right?

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you wonder "Why are these names and characters so unoriginal/weird?" or "A 4th grader could've come up with this," then you either didn't pay attention to what you're reading right now or didn't read this at all. And if you can't imagine what most of the chao characters look like…well, think of the Powerpuff Girls, mostly for the arms, legs and hands. They kinda look like that, but…taller. And…well, more like chao. Minus the wings. And they actually have feet.

Well, I try to be the best writer that I can be, since it's one of my hobbies. My ultimate goal is to get a TV tropes page one day for this, really. I love that website endlessly…ahem. But, whatever. Anyway, enjoy the fic, and **PLEASE REVIEW!** Hard to make improvements without criticism, y'know?


	2. Ch2 - Revelation of a New Adventure

**Chapter 2: Revelation of a New Adventure**

_"What is this…is this a dream?"_ Chao opened his eyes and was greeted by a strange, empty void. He could swear he was dreaming; he couldn't describe it, but although he felt completely conscious, it didn't feel like reality. He walked around the stoic emptiness of the dream and stumbled upon nothing but a strange tablet that read, "Your journey is about to begin once more…and in it many faces new and old you shall meet…The Dawn Brigade…" The tablet then proceeded to list the names of people Chao knew and people Chao had never heard of before.

"_Tiny-Timmy Chao_

_Cham_

_Dominac_

_Xeg_

_Balbazack_

_Claire_

_Johnny_

_Kumachao_

_Tara_

_Igiaro_

_Kevin_

_Ezo_

_Tabor_

_Nazoku_

_Vanessa_

_Dustin"_

Immediately after reading every name on the strange list, Chao ended up in his bed at home. Apparently, it was a dream after all…

Chao got out of his bed and stretched. Strange day yesterday, it was…after all, it was his first day back home after his long journey and he ended up being greeted with more changes than he could've ever hoped to anticipate. Not to mention that he had no idea how well his older brother could cook and how loud his younger brother's "indoor" voice was. Nevertheless, Chao walked downstairs and was greeted by his aforementioned brothers, already up and about.

"Good morning, Chao! Hey, some weird old coot is here to see you! I call him a "coot" because that's what Cham calls old people who peek at younger women in bikinis!" TTC said, smiling. Chao tried to hold back a laugh to keep from encouraging TTC to reiterate Cham's opinions as he headed toward the door to see whom he was talking about. At the door was the local priest in Chao's town of Riverbank, Pastor Carl.

"Oh, hey Pastor Carl. Bring good tidings of great joy lately?" Chao referenced.

"Yes. Well…you see, I have to talk to you and your brothers about something. You will come see me at the chapel after you eat breakfast, I pray?" the Pastor proposed.

"Um…sure, I don't see why not…" Chao shrugged while closing the door in his face.

"So, did you drive him away? Y'know, the old coot?" …Apparently, he somehow found out that Chao thought that was humorous.

"I guess? He wants to see us in the chapel after we eat breakfast."

"Uh-oh…He probably found out that TTC called him an old coot and would like to 'have a word' with us. Oh god, we are in for it now," Cham declaimed.

TTC rolled his eyes and sat at the table in the living room facing the TV to wait for breakfast. Chao walked over and sat at the same table.

"So…did anyone else have a strange dream last night?" Chao asked.

"Yeah. I was just walking around Charalia, minding my own business when…BAM! A cat, just randomly swimming on the ground! I mean, what the heck-"

"Yeah, whatever," Chao interrupted TTC from his…interesting tale. "Well, I swear my dream was just like reality. I was standing in this strange, null space when I came across this weird stone tablet. It had this list of people's names…both of your names were on it, along with Dominac's, Xeg's, and a bunch of other people I don't know. Oh, and Balbazack," Chao explained.

Cham immediately stopped cooking. "Balbazack? Isn't he that cliché pirate-ninja guy who robs cities with his super-cool ninja-pirate cliché powers?" Cham said, repeating himself to assert his point.

Chao nodded. "I know, right? Random name…I don't even know any of the other people, but somehow…they all seem familiar."

"Well, obviously it was a vision sent from the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It wants you to kill everybody on that list because they and their leprechaun friends are holding it hostage…"

"TTC, please don't involve leprechauns in your insane anecdotes," Cham drawled.

"But the weirdest part is…I can only remember the first few names on the list. I'm surprised I remember any of the names at all, considering it was a dream..." Chao murmured.

"Maybe what Pastor Carl wants has something to do with it. I swear, every time _you_ dream, it _has_ to have some sacred significance." Cham noted. Chao smiled and shrugged in agreement. He gave signals to Cham with his eyes to continue making breakfast; Cham caught on and turned the stove back on. Chao rested his head on his hand and savored the lingering smell of food that followed. It was fairly nostalgic, smelling the food after not being home for such a long time. His house had stayed mostly the same while he was gone; the bottom floor had the kitchen, living room, and dining room, all in close proximity, while upstairs were four bedrooms. Chao never thought that the number of bedrooms he'd have to use would actually increase when he came back.

After eating breakfast, Chao immediately put his plate in the sink. "Well, should we go see Pastor Carl now?" Chao asked. Cham nodded in agreement while TTC kept his eyes glued to the TV. Cham snapped his fingers a few times to break TTC out of his trance. "Maybe after we see him, you can show me around the new and improved Riverbank City," Chao proposed. TTC got up and ran to the door. "You mean like a tour? Boring!" TTC opened the door and left before anyone could respond. Chao and Cham soon followed.

After walking down a few streets Chao didn't recognize, the trio ended up at the chapel. The grand building loomed over the other buildings in the street – an as-of-then vacant architectural masterpiece. The siblings humbly entered the building to find Pastor Carl waiting at the end of the long hallway plagued with pews. The three walked to the end and took a seat.

"I am glad you made it, McChao family. We have many things to discuss…well, not much. I can easily summarize it if you'd like," the Pastor suggested. Cham nodded. "Well, considering how long your speeches are, I'm pretty sure that it'll be a long story anyway. So yeah," Cham stated matter-of-factly. Carl nodded. "I humbly agree to your sarcastic comment, Cham. To begin, I'd like to ask Chao a question." He turned to Chao. "Recently, have you had any strange dreams? To be more specific…a dream wherein you witnessed a list of names?" Chao's eyes widened. "Why do you always know what my dreams are? That's so weird!" Chao joked. The Pastor smiled. "There is a reason, Chao. It is a legend that is said to come true directly after the journey of the Hero of Charalia. But in order to understand the legend, you must have knowledge of another story that occurred in ancient past."

Pastor Carl continued. "Some hundreds of years ago, our country, Charalia, was suddenly attacked by our neighboring country of Dedon, likely because they wanted to expand their land. The army of Charalia was not strong enough alone to fight Dedon, and was losing at the beginning. That is, they were losing until a young warrior from ancient Riverbank City arrived and enlisted in the army. Although he helped Charalia defeat many Dedonian forces, it was still not enough to win the war. This warrior, named Zado Hope, was much like you, Chao; he believed in the power of teamwork. He broke away from the main army of Charalia and started a new sortie he named the Shining Brigade. It consisted of two of Zado's closest friends – Anne-Marie Silvia and Drake Cole – along with a mysterious third warrior whose true form was never revealed as the co-captain, and a few others. This small army was not large in number, but it had won every single battle it had entered – it was truly a force to be reckoned with. It is because of them that Charalia managed to drive Dedon back and win the war. However, Zado, Anne-Marie, Drake, and the mysterious fourth warrior all vanished and the Brigade disbanded. Despite this, Dedon, with a weakened army, has not attacked since."

Chao nodded. "I think I've heard that story before…or at least parts of it. Now, where did I hear that…? Um…I think it was History class," Chao said, recalling his few days of school. TTC raised an eyebrow. "Well I've never heard it. But Zado sounds cool!" TTC naively remarked. Cham rolled his eyes and raised an eyebrow. "Everybody knows about that story. People are still trying to figure out what happened to the leaders of the Brigade, but nothing has been found."

The Pastor continued. "That is correct. Chao, your vision relates directly to that story. According to the legend that follows the journey you just returned from, every person named in that list is a member of a new army started by the Hero of Charalia – you. According to the legend, you must befriend each one and gain their assistance in defeating a great evil that is soon to come." Cham sighed. "That's a lot of people…At least I think it's a lot of people. Chao, you do remember the list, right?" Cham inquired. Chao shrugged. "Only the first few..." The Pastor interrupted. "According to the legend, you must go through the names on the list in order. The names you can't remember will eventually come back to you." the Pastor reassured. Chao nodded. "Well, let's see here…the list started with TTC and Cham's names. Then it went to Dominac and Xeg's…wait. We have to befriend _Balbazack?_ But he's a brutal pirate…" Chao wondered. "Hmm…I guess some of these alliances will end up being unlikely," Cham suggested. The Pastor nodded. "According to reliable sources, Balbazack is very likely to attack this city next and try to steal the treasures it boasts. I suggest you stay here and prepare for said attack." Chao nodded again. "We'll take your advice Pastor." Pastor Carl smiled. "If you ever need to know where to find your allies, ask me. I will try to be your guide." Chao sighed in anticipation and turned to his brothers. "You ready to fight some pirates, guys?"

Cham stared at him. "So...basically, we've just been tasked with traveling who-knows-how-far, to meet who-knows-how-many-people, and to fight a threat who-knows-how-big, and you just rest easy."

Chao nodded. "Yep!"

"..." Cham sighed. "Well, if Link never says anything, I guess he won't either..." Cham mumbled.


	3. Ch3 - The Amazing Enemy

**Chapter 3: The Amazing Enemy**

"We're almost there, fellas. All we'll need is one more turn ta port, and land ho!"

The confident pirate captain yelled enthusiastically at his crew, eager to finally reach land and do some long-awaited pillaging. After much debate, they had finally decided on their next destination: Riverbank City, a town the pirate captain remembered to be a small, practically unprotected stronghold of the weak. He had pillaged it two or three times before with relative ease. It had been a few years since then, and he was prepared for anything new the city had in store for him.

Luckily, the sea was calm and the winds were favorable during the entire journey. As a crew member spotted land from the crow's nest, he, relieved of his duties for now, cheerfully bellowed, "Land ho!" Immediately after the words stopped ringing in the pirates' ears, they quickly headed to their cabins and hesitantly equipped themselves with their best weapons. Despite the captain's claims, the city looked grand from the ship's deck. Massive skyscrapers could be seen even from their distance – though there weren't very many – and the almost harmonious sounds of the city could be heard from the deck. Regardless of their numbers, the thieves knew they would have a hard time, no matter how well they were equipped. Somehow, however, the captain was undeterred. He took his leisurely time equipping his trademark double rapier and proceeding to the deck to lead his army. After donning a black ninja mask, the captain finally, but casually walked on deck to lead his crew.

"Drop the anchor! That little scumbag won't know what hit him."

The captain's command did not fall on deaf ears, and the ship docked right next to Riverbank's southern beach. The beach-goers foolishly stood around, staring at the strange ship that inexplicably docked at their beach. The pirate-ninjas swarmed out of the boat like bees and headed for town. Screams could finally be heard as the beach-goers headed for home to try and warn their families. The ninjas were too fast for them, however, and robbed houses blind before many could even get home. Many returned to the ship with the treasure they plundered, but came back out for some reason. The captain was the last to leave the ship. He easily brushed aside anyone in his path as he looked for a proper place to steal from. After passing many middle-class buildings, he finally found one that suited him – the museum. It may not have been as good as the bank, but it'd do for his intentions. He entered the building and eliminated all of the ill-equipped security guards. The bystanders in the museum stood aside, helpless as the captain slowly took anything he thought was nice-looking. Suddenly, a voice came from the entrance of the museum, uplifting all those inside – including the captain himself.

"Long time no see, huh, Balbazack?"

The pirate captain chuckled. He was finally about to get what he had waited years for. His years of preparing to actually succeed raiding a city with his crew were finally about to expose their true meaning. The captain turned around and beheld a young, confident, strong looking short figure, accompanied by two new faces. The one on the left, the shortest, was wearing a bandana, almost exactly like the kind that his crew wore. He was equipped with a small axe and an equally small shield, but was probably big enough to shield his small body. The one on the right, the tallest, wore a red baseball cap and casually held a large, menacing lance. He stared at the captain creepily and angrily. The one in the middle was one the captain could recognize anywhere – that odd-looking green cap, that cyan skin, and those determined, oval-shaped, cartoonish eyes…Until _that_ one came along, raiding Riverbank was a piece of cake. It was embarrassing – no, downright _humiliating_ – to be completely felled by a single kid around _six_ years old. He was dumbfounded by the kid's power…it was supernatural, as if a god himself were fighting. But this time, around seven years later, the captain was prepared…he hoped. If the battle was anything like he remembered last time, this would be tough. But he felt prepared – if years of training and more crew members couldn't beat the kid, what could?

"Well, the Pastor was right! He DID come to us!" TTC smiled, enjoying the not-so-odd coincidence.

"You must be Balbazack…don't try to pretend you're not," Cham remarked.

"Hmm…" Balbazack crossed his arms, covertly reaching for his swords. "…And who would you two be…?"

TTC gave a toothy grin. "I'm TTC! And these are my brothers, Chao and Cham! And you look funny! Especially that ugly beard of yours! Good thing your cool mask is shielding it from my eyes!" Cham held up his shield and held back a laugh. Balbazack smirked, hidden by his mask. TTC was probably referring to his large, black sideburns, though he did have a beard under the mask as well. For a pirate, Balbazack dressed oddly; as long as it was black, he would wear it. He wore black leather pants and a jet black shirt with an equally black cape. Balbazack gave TTC an intimidating look, accompanied by the scar of unknown origin on his left eye. "I suppose you want me to prove myself…" Balbazack slowly, without anyone noticing, reached for his weapons. "…Think fast." Without further banter, Balbazack threw three throwing stars immediately at TTC. TTC back flipped, dodging two, and shielded the final one. Without any of three of them noticing, Balbazack dashed toward Chao, swords already drawn, and slashed as quickly as he could. It was a clean hit; Chao was knocked outside the door of the museum and lay face up on the ground. Chao got up, undeterred, and drew his shield and golden sword before Balbazack could follow up. Balbazack unleashed a series of slashes on Chao, but all were blocked. As Chao was chased down by Balbazack's assault, Chao asked, "So, what, you came here just to kick my butt?" Balbazack suddenly tripped Chao and pinned him with his foot.

"You defeated my entire crew at just six years old and prevented me from pillaging the easiest city in this damn country and expect me to be okay with that!?"

Chao scoffed. "Then why don't you just finish me, then? You've got me pinned. I'm practically at your mercy…and you're going to just stand there gawking?" Chao sighed. "Can you at least let me get up so we can make this fun?" Chao grabbed Balbazack's leg and tripped him instantly. Chao signaled to Cham, who ran over and pinned Balbazack just as Balbazack did to Chao.

"You and your siblings are tougher than I originally anticipated…" Balbazack pushed Cham aside and got up. "But I have yet to test the full extent of your power. Emerge!" Hearing the command, the ninjas of Balbazack's crew came out of hiding and jumped into the conflict. "If you wish to continue fighting me, I say you should prove your worth first. I wouldn't dawdle if I were you. You aren't the only one who's gotten better." Balbazack walked a distance before finishing, "And when you battle me, you'll see true proof of that." As the head ninja left, the lesser ninjas closed in on the trio of siblings.

"What are we gonna do?" TTC frowned. "We're soooooooo outnumbered!"

Cham held a fighting stance. "We fight. Otherwise we'll get skewered by their fancy katana. Fuuuun, right?" Cham angrily smiled.

Chao smiled, confident as ever. "Not unless you make it that way!" Chao dashed into the seemingly endless crowd of ninja and easily blocked their inexperienced attacks with his shield as he slashed away, each hit devastating.

"Whoa, they're really that weak? Huh. This must be the 'first level.'" Cham approached another side of the ninja crowd and pushed them back easily with his lance. TTC followed suit, but mostly just jumped over them to get past them and attacked when they approached him. Each of the McChao siblings dodged throwing stars, shurikens, katana swipes, and kunai as they fought their way through the ninja crowd. People on the side of the street watched the battle out of curiosity, sitting on or in their cars. It was truly a mess to behold, the sharp metal flying everywhere and the incapacitated ninjas lying on the ground. It was like something out of a bad TV show. After several minutes, every ninja had been defeated…all but one. The McChaos were completely exhausted, but stood their ground.

"If you think this is going to be easy, you are sorely mistaken." The ninja drew a sword and pointed it at the siblings. "My name is Atsushi Eiji, or A.E. And what the captain says goes."

There was a moment of awkward silence as the ninja clad in green stood there, staring for whatever reason. He suddenly dashed at the trio at blinding speed, but just as they were about to guard, he phased out of sight. The siblings scanned for any sign of him, but didn't see anything. Suddenly, Cham felt a sharp pain in his back – he had just been kicked in the back by A.E, who somehow teleported behind him. He jumped off of Cham's back and kicked Chao's and TTC's backs almost simultaneously, flooring all three of them. The three shuffled to get back up and pick up their weapons and shields, but were too slow – A.E had already somehow got next to them, condescendingly staring at the downed siblings. Immediately after they had gotten up, A.E back flipped and kicked Chao, flooring him again.

"If you cannot handle me, then Balbazack is wasting his time. How he ever fell to the likes of you is, as of yet, beyond me."

Chao sprang up instantly this time. "Later I'll tell you what happened to the last guy who underestimated me." Chao stood there for good five seconds and then promptly slapped A.E across the head with his shield. While A.E was dizzied, Chao followed the shield attack with several horizontal sword slashes and pushed the ninja down to the ground. The ninja rose almost as quickly as Chao did.

"Impressive…" He rolled his head around and popped his neck. He pretended he was about to say something else, but instead roundhouse kicked Chao, who fell onto TTC due to the knockback. Again, he phased out of sight, and immediately reappeared above Cham. He dropped down, stabbed him in the back with his katana, and removed the blade just as quickly. Cham let out a whimper, but got up slowly.

"S-see? Th-this is what I was talking about…ow, that smarts…" Cham stuttered, holding his back. "But it takes a lot more than that to kill someone with battle experience." Cham ignored his wound and held his lance in preparation for the next attack.

A.E crossed his arms. "…You are ready so far. All that is left…" A.E withdrew his katana again. "…Is to actually defeat me." He began tactically swiping his katana at Chao, who tried his best to guard every unpredictable attack. Suddenly, A.E feinted a sword swipe and presumably caught Chao off guard, but to no avail; Chao jumped on top of A.E's katana – barely enough to avoid being cut – and slashed at A.E, who fell back, totally unprepared. A.E got up again and teleported, hoping to surprise Chao this time. Still, no dice – Chao shielded TTC from A.E's attack, which he saw coming a mile away. A.E's eyes widened. Somehow the kid predicted his every move with ease…The crowd cheered on as Chao began to suddenly defeat the ninja, rendering all of his attacks futile. Once Chao knocked A.E down to the ground, Chao paused.

"Face it. I know all of your moves now. Can we stop?"

The ninja got up once more and sighed. "…Perhaps…it's time for this." Suddenly, A.E circled his arms around, his hands meeting in front of his face in a ninja symbol. A.E chanted some odd Japanese words, saying the last word with a confident yell. …Nothing seemed to happen at first, but eventually, the atmosphere turned dark, and ominous clouds rolled overhead. Lightning began to flash through the clouds as well, accompanied by thunder, as usual. Once the odd storm blew in, the ninja cried, "Ninjitsu!" Immediately, branches from a bolt of lightning surrounded the ninja, acting as a shield. The thunder resulting from this event caused Chao to jump in shock. Looks like Chao didn't know all of his tricks after all. Chao's focus quickly broke when a voice from behind summoned him. Chao smiled at A.E embarrassingly and ran over to TTC.

"What is it? I'm sorta in the middle of a match with a deadly ninja here!"

"Well, you seem tired. I wanna kick some ninja butt! Come on, lemme at'em!" TTC said, confidently.

Chao gave him a dead stare. "Promise me you'll never say, "lemme at'em" again." With that, Chao tagged out and let TTC battle.

A.E stood there, surrounded by lightning with his arms crossed. "You must be quite confident. Your friend could hardly-"

"Brother. I'm his BROTHER. Get it right!" TTC abruptly interrupted the ninja. A.E uncrossed his arms again.

"I can see you believe action speaks louder than words." A.E instantly broke into a ninja run at the confident kid. A.E immediately slashed with his katana once he was in sufficient distance, but TTC quickly front flipped behind the ninja. As TTC turned around to face him, TTC slashed with his axe to attack the ninja. However, the lightning shield caused the attack to have no effect. TTC stood wide-eyed as the ninja slowly turned to face him. TTC gave another smile, however, as he kept hacking and slashing at the shield, figuring it had to go out eventually. Realizing his shield was quickly wearing down, A.E phased out again, and appeared behind TTC. However, the shield had already died down by the time he had reappeared. A.E failed to realize this as TTC gave out a funny-sounding battle cry and tackled him, immaturely bashing A.E's face with his shield. After taking a few hits, A.E pushed TTC off and got up.

"Enough!" A.E yelled. "You two are noble adversaries. The small one's tactics are a bit…out there, but they are certainly efficient." A.E glimpsed at Cham. "As for you, however…I expect you to fight the captain. Don't think that you can just skip out on battling." With that, the green ninja jumped and phased away, without a trace.

The crowd cheered momentarily, then, used to this kind of thing, went straight back to what they were doing as if nothing had happened. The storm clouds suddenly vanished, along with A.E. The sun once again shined near the coast of Riverbank, but the battle wasn't over. There was one more adversary to defeat: ninja slash pirate captain Balbazack. Chao still couldn't understand how Balbazack could possibly join his side…both a thief and a revenge-seeker who seemed to hate Chao with a passion. He figured only time could tell…

Suddenly, Chao's friend Dominac ran out of the crowd, waving. He was a chao, like many of the inhabitants of Charalia, but was green with things that looked like lopped ears on the side of his head. He held a staff with a crystal ball at the top in his right hand, being a white mage.

"Hey Chao! Some guys around here told me you were battling a green monster of infinite doom…So, I came here to see it!" Dominac exclaimed, smiling.

Chao blinked, eyes widened. "Um…If by 'green monster of infinite doom,' they meant a green ninja, then yes."

Dominac suddenly wore a bored face and sighed. "…Oh. Well, whatever."

"We kicked his butt, but it wasn't such an easy fight…"

The two stood around for a bit daydreaming until Cham walked over and broke the silence. "Since Chao apparently isn't gonna say it, I will. Hey, Dominac. Help us. K?" Cham flatly requested.

Dominac looked away. "Um…I guess…well…maybe…that is to say…um…I've been practicing my healing magic and my light magic, but…haven't perfected it yet. But…I guess I can…well…you know…try," Dominac mumbled.

Cham stared at him. "Wait, what? Huh?"

"I said…er…sure."

"Huh? What?"

"I said YES!" Dominac yelled, staring at Cham angrily.

"Really? Great, let's go."

Dominac's eye twitched. He was trying to get out of helping them, but apparently that didn't work. He was a pretty good mage, but he still had a lot to learn.

"I saw Balbazack head north toward Puzzle Forest. Dominac, think you could get Xeg to come too? He didn't say it had to be a fair fight," Chao said, boldly taking charge.

Dominac nodded. "Fine. But since Cham won't be there I doubt he'll say yes."

TTC smiled like a dork again. "Who's Seg?"

"TTC, we went over this. You always ask us who someone you've known for years is and then you always end up answering the question yourse-"

"OH! RIGHT!" TTC cut Cham short. "He's Dominac's creepy dark chao brother with the white crescent moon on his chest and the demonic horns!"

Chao rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Cham, TTC, you guys come with me to the forest's entrance. Dominac, you meet up with us. Don't forget to heal us when you get there, k?" The McChao brothers walked off toward the forest's entrance. Dominac stood there, slightly confused.

"W-wait! Who's Balbazack?"


	4. Ch4 - Balbazack

**Chapter 4: Balbazack**

"_We're doing everything we can, but…we can't afford medical treatment…"_

"_B-but…father…he's dying…we have to do something! We have to…"_

"_We're doing everything we can, Balbazack…everything will be OK."_

"…_Mom…I'm afraid…"_

Balbazack could do nothing but think as he waited in the forest for Chao and his allies to show up and challenge him. No matter how much time passed, the same thing haunted him every day. The bitter memories of his late father, the suffering he had to go through, the horrible illness that his father tried so hard to endure…and all in vain. He didn't survive. Balbazack's family couldn't afford to pay for the medicine. But what was Balbazack supposed to do about it? He was too young to work, and his mother couldn't get a well-paying job in time. The truth exploded in his face rather painfully – his family needed money, especially with his father dead. He had no other choice. He had to become a pirate.

The forest clearing was perfect for self-reflection. The large, empty space was surprisingly relaxing, and the wind gently caressed the bushes and trees surrounding the circle, creating a calming sound that fueled Balbazack's saddening daydreams. Suddenly, however, Balbazack's thoughts were interrupted by a rustling in the bushes around him. He could tell it was Chao, trying to make a dramatic entrance. He drew his rapiers and readied himself for a potential sneak attack, but Chao simply walked from out of the dense forest, accompanied by four others; Dominac, Xeg, and the other McChao brothers. Balbazack smirked.

"I see you brought back up just in case…well, I can't fault you for that." Balbazack looked around, hinting at the fact that his crew was waiting to ambush them. Before anyone else could say anything, Balbazack continued. "I've been waiting to exact my revenge on you for seven years. You had better perform to the best of your abilities."

Balbazack took a fighting stance, and Chao did the same immediately. Chao's four friends stood in silence, excitedly waiting to see what would happen. A thick silence filled the air for a few seconds until Dominac broke it. "For the love of…can we just get this over with?" he muttered. Chao smiled and nodded, then instantly rushed at Balbazack and attacked. Balbazack quickly parried all of Chao's swift slices, rendering them useless. Chao stopped before he wasted too much energy. Then, much to Chao's surprise, Balbazack dashed forward and, without explanation, appeared behind him, leaving behind afterimages. Balbazack instantly attacked Chao's back with his swords, flooring him. Chao turned over, still grounded.

"Wh-wha…h-how…?" Chao stuttered.

"…My discipline reaps its rewards."

Chao frowned and sprang up. He attempted to attack Balbazack with a vertical slash, but Balbazack's image phased out, appeared in the air, and drop kicked Chao. Balbazack stood in place, motionless, as Chao got up as quickly as he could.

"How are you…"

"The shinobi has done his job. The sailor waits…" Balbazack slowly changed his fighting stance from that of a ninja to that of a pirate. "And y'er not gonna defeat 'im, scallywag!" Balbazack used his twin swords to attack Chao, pushing him further backwards and giving him little time to guard.

"You've gotten a lot better, sir, I'll give you that!" Chao said, while dodging fervently.

"Don't pretend y'er not afraid ta lose. Prepare ta walk the plank, sonny!" Balbazack knocked Chao down with the hilt of his sword, but Chao retaliated by tripping the pirate while floored.

"I'm not about to lose! Riverbank needs me!"

Chao sprang up into the air, drew his sword, and thrust it downward into Balbazack's back. The pirate screamed in pain.

"Woohoo! Now you know how it feels!" Cham yelled, still rubbing his back from being stabbed. TTC scratched his head.

"Wait…shouldn't being stabbed kill you? How are either of you still alive? You should be dead! Chao should have inherited all of your clothes by now!" TTC chatted.

"TTC, people don't die from being stabbed. Sure, it hurts, but they don't _die_. Have you been playing M rated 'reality' games again?" Cham replied.

"No…erm, wait. Yes…"

Balbazack got up and rubbed his back almost exactly the same way Cham did. His "ninja" side suddenly took over again. "I may reap what I sow, but I mustn't let that hinder me." He picked up his dropped swords from the ground. "Family matters…I cannot let hatred blind me." He took a deep breath before attacking Chao again. Chao caught on to Balbazack's parrying techniques and guarded just as swiftly as Balbazack did. "What are you talking about?" Chao asked, while countering Balbazack's attacks like mad. Balbazack said nothing, but temporarily stopped his futile attacks.

"You know piracy is wrong. All I was doing was protecting the island. So what's all this 'justice' stuff about?" Balbazack instantly threw kunai at Chao, but all ten knives were guarded. He then ran at Chao and feinted an attack, but phased out and kicked Chao in the back of the head from the air again. This time, however, it wasn't as hard.

"I've let revenge blind me, and from there, hatred stemmed…But until the battle is over, my insatiable thirst for justice will not be quenched."

"Justice…?"

Balbazack had already begun to try something – he circled his arms around, his hands meeting in front of his face in a ninja symbol. He then began to recite Japanese words, just like A.E before him. Again, like A.E, Balbazack shouted the last word louder than the rest. Chao gulped, expecting the same lightning shield from last time. However, the Ninjitsu turned out to be different this time – flaming ribbons circled around Balbazack, a huge Japanese kanji symbol appeared in front of his body, and he became engulfed in an orange flame. Chao sighed, but he wasn't sure why.

"For her…justice."

Balbazack began to throw kunai at Chao again, this time engulfed in flames. Chao's face reaction was priceless as he tried frantically to avoid the now-faster moving, burning knives. His friends began cheering him on more and more.

"Yeah, Chao! Dodge those things! They've got nothing on you!"

"Victory will be yours!"

"You can do it!"

Xeg was the only one who didn't say anything. He stood on the sidelines in silence, watching Balbazack closely, as if his eyes were stalking him.

Remembering the tactics he studied, Chao ran up to Balbazack, holding his shield up high to block the kunai. When Chao reached a sufficient distance, he mimicked his favorite hero's signature move – the spin attack. He silently apologized to the hero of time for stealing his move, stood on one foot, and spun around in a circle while holding out his weapon. The strikes were too quick for Balbazack, apparently, for he failed to guard every hit and fell backward, overwhelmed.

Balbazack struggled, but got up. Before either Chao or Balbazack could do anything else, Xeg walked over slowly.

"It's obvious why Balbazack wants 'justice' for what you did to him, rather than revenge." Xeg crossed his arms. "Justice implies that you did something morally wrong, Chao. I say you figure out what that is and apologize for it instead of carrying on with this moronic fight." Chao and Balbazack just stood there, blankly staring at him. "…Is this too hard to understand for you two? Stop standing there like morons and settle this!" He walked back toward the trees and stood next to Dominac again, staring angrily at the two combatants. Balbazack growled.

"…Perhaps I should tell the truth…As much as I loathe you, child, it's only fair that you understand why." Xeg smiled smugly, pleased he was being listened to.

"Well, by all means, tell me! Fighting is only fun when you watch…"

Balbazack sighed. "I never wanted to become a pirate…my father was a filthy liar. A thief. A pirate…but I loved him. I don't know why. When he became sick…I was devastated and afraid. Apart from my mother, he was the kindest person I had ever met. The only reason he stole was to fend for us. But…" Balbazack looked away. "He didn't steal enough, apparently. The disease killed him. My mother and I were left sad, poor, and helpless. What else could I do about it but become a pirate myself and fend for my mother?" Balbazack shook his head, looking angrier and angrier. "I never wanted to become a pirate like him, but I had to fend for my mother somehow. I stole easily for many years…" He turned his head to Chao and gave him a piercing glare. "Then _you_ came along. After what you did, I could barely steal from anywhere again. I was ashamed, but worst of all…I couldn't help my mother. I don't even know what's become of her now." He closed his eyes, and calmed down. "For now, I will take my leave. But this isn't over. The next time we meet, the battle will be for my mother. Not for revenge." Balbazack stood silently for a few seconds, then jumped and phased out in midair. A sudden wind filled the air of the clearing, signaling the exit of his crew as well.

Chao stood in silence, bewildered by Balbazack's saddening tale. Chao had no idea that Balbazack had dealt with such a hard childhood. It turned out he was only trying to get money for his mother…but did that make it right? Chao daydreamed, thinking about that critical question until TTC broke his trance.

"That was awesome! You were all like, 'BAM! POW! TAKE THAT, VILLAIN!' And he was all like, 'No. Ow. It hurts. Poetry. Rant. Angst. Bye.' And he ran away! You're the best!"

Chao nodded, though with an uncertain look still on his face. Pastor Carl had said that Balbazack was going to join him, but he figured he had to wait a bit longer. Otherwise…well, he wouldn't have left. The most he could do was forget about it until the next time they met. Chao sighed and put on a happy face.

"Y'know, his story reminded me of when our dad died…" Chao's fake happiness turned into real confidence. "…but dad wouldn't want us to dwell on the past. He'd want us to tough it out and take action, and so would mom!"

Cham smiled back at Chao. "Yeah…We can't change the past, so we might as well make lemonade, right?" TTC chuckled. "Uh, yeah, right. Lemonade will solve _all_ of our problems." Cham rolled his eyes at TTC, amazed that he didn't get the allusion. Slightly amazed. TTC was always like that. Always.

The group of five was immediately summoned to the chapel by Pastor Carl. Once they got there, Carl immediately congratulated them and rewarded them with cookies and sandwiches. …He wasn't the best gift giver.

"You never cease to amaze me, young prodigy. You practically single handedly drove those pirates out of the city!" Carl bellowed, with open arms.

"Yeah, single-handedly," TTC said, "since he didn't let us do any fighting!"

"You fought A.E, or whatever his name was. Besides, being kicked in the head by ninjas over and over again isn't fun, TTC," Chao explained.

Carl instantly changed the mood. "Even so, the remaining people on the list are waiting to meet you. Musn't prolong destiny, now, should we?"

Dominac stopped stuffing his face for a second. "Hm? List? What list?" He began munching on the cookies again.

"Chao, you haven't told them?" Carl inquired. Chao smiled shyly. "Um…the pirates made me forget." Dominac stopped eating and sat, staring at Chao. "Well, I'm all ears. What's this about a list?" Xeg walked over too, and set next to Dominac silently.

"Um…well, it's a long story, so here's the short version. Basically, according to some legend, the Hero of Charalia – that's supposed to be me, I guess – his brothers, and a bunch of other people on a list are supposed to become friends and reunite that Shining Brigade from hundreds of years ago to defeat a great evil. I'm not sure what that is yet, but…uh…um…" Chao stammered at the end, but Dominac interrupted.

"I'm in! What about you, Xeg? Come on! Aw, you always say no! Why!? WHY!?"

"Shut up! I wasn't gonna say no! Don't be a moron!" Xeg replied, angered easily.

Chao made a priceless face at the two unlikely siblings. "Um…Ok, that's settled! Who's next on the list, Pastor?"

Carl smiled. "According to legend, you should be able to remember any name on the list, but only if you're reminded of it first. You shouldn't even have to memorize it." He cupped his chin, thinking about where Chao should go next. "Hmm…try East Star City. Surely you've heard of it?"

Chao nodded. To the far east of Charalia was its neighboring country, and long-time rival Dedon. East Star City was very close to the border of the two countries. Riverbank wasn't too far from the place, but it'd still be quite a journey.

"Why East Star City?" Chao wondered.

"Also according to legend, your 'guide' is supposed to tell you where to go next to find your next ally. I hoped that it was me, but it looks like the dream really came true! This is so exciting! I finally feel useful! I'm gonna go tell my wife…!" The Pastor cleared his throat embarrassingly. "Ahem…anyway, besides that explanation, it's just a hunch."

Chao shrugged. "Well, I say we get going. I wonder who we'll meet there…?"


	5. Ch5 - East Star City

**Chapter 5: East Star City**

"_Welcome to East Star City! We've survived wars and takeovers"_

A large sign reading those words greeted Chao and his friends at the entrance to the city. Even from the entrance, the group could see a huge city filled with neon lights, tall skyscrapers, bars, casinos, parks, and more. By the time the five heroes got to the city, the sunset further brightened the skyline as it vanished, turning the setting slowly into nighttime.

"So this is the place…? It's so…large," Cham wondered, staring at the setting sun.

"Yeah, I've been here before on vacation. Can we find a hotel already? Hiking here was tedious enough…" Xeg complained, rubbing his head.

The group followed the sidewalk around aimlessly while viewing the city's impressive sights. Across the city, the group heard yelling, gunshots, fights, car alarms, and sighs. It was certainly a paradise… Eventually, they came across a highly forested park somewhere in the middle of the city. A large bulldozer seemed to be waiting to fell a tree, but a few protesters had chained themselves to it, refusing to let the procedure carry.

"Look! Hippies!" TTC shouted joyfully.

While the protesters sat chatting, bound to the tree, the worker handling the dozer seemed to be catching up on reading a good book. The only protestor not chained to the tree was a lone girl. She was a young, teenage chao, with dark blonde hair in bangs that covered the tops of her eyes, seemingly managed by the hairband she wore. She wore a t-shirt with the design of a large flower on the front and baggy pants that covered most of her shoes. She immediately noticed Chao's group and ran over to them, holding out a clipboard with a pen chained to it.

"Hello sirs! Please take the time to sign your names on this on this petition. Help us save Harley, the great tree, from being demolished! Let the tree die nature's way!" She smiled sweetly at the group of five – one could practically see the hope in her eyes.

Chao shrugged and signed his name on one of the empty spots, and the other four followed.

"Thank you so much!" She bowed. "I see some citizens here still care!"

"Oh, we don't live here." Chao explained. "We're just visiting. You know, just hoping to meet someone."

"Oh? Then let me be the first to welcome you! My name's Claire Epsilon. I've lived here my whole life. It's a nice place…sometimes."

Chao's eyes widened. He suddenly recalled the name after Balbazack on the list: Claire. Was this the girl they were supposed to meet? If so…what did he have to do now?

"Um…Hi. My name's Chao McChao. Nice to meet-" Chao was cut short by Claire, whose eyes widened larger than even Chao's.

"Wait. Chao!? You're that guy…who did that thing…to that evil dude! Right? Right!?"

Chao made a confused face at her, but assumed she meant when Chao defeated the man that had tried to take over Charalia. "Um…Yes! That's me…"

Claire began speaking in teenager slang. "Like…Oh my GOD! I never thought I'd…like…meet _you_ face-to-face today, of all people! This is like, so amazing! I wish my brother were here!" Cham and Xeg tried not laugh at her sudden change of accent. Chao noticed their snickers and tried to send them away.

"Hey, why don't you two take TTC and find a hotel for us to stay at? Dominac and I'll have Claire give us a tour of the city."

Xeg and Cham sighed, but agreed. They took TTC and temporarily left the park. Claire grinned widely.

"You want _me_ to give YOU a tour!? Oh yeah! Derek, unchain yourself NOW and take the petition! I'm outta here!" She carelessly tossed the clipboard at one of her friends, smacking him in the face rather painfully. She then grabbed Chao's hand and ran down the street to show him some neat places while Dominac followed, snickering.

"_I…can't…I can't lose…But…I just DID lose. It's true…that kid is strong…but no matter what, I must not give up. I must start my plan anew…If at first you don't succeed…And that plan begins again with you, Professor. Return to the city, and this time, don't fail me…"_

The mad scientist stood at the top of the abandoned tower, the words of his boss causing a strange mix of fear and determination to well up inside of him. Seven years ago, the man he idolized, Zenith Starlight, attempted a hostile takeover of Charalia, and left an everlasting mark in the country's history even though he failed. Not only was Professor Aurora astounded by Zenith's desires and that he actually planned to carry out his wishes, but he was even more amazed when he found out that he was willing to carry out his plan again now, very shortly after he had been defeated.

The inventor's white lab coat fluttered like a cape in a breeze of unknown origin as he stared in the dark basement of the tower at the giant army of robots he planned to unleash on East Star. He smiled slightly, proud of his inventions, but seemed to be suppressing his grin slightly. He continued to walk down the columns of giant robots, slowly inspecting each one in front, until he reached the star of his army. The one robot he believed outshined all the rest combined. The same robot that almost guaranteed victory for him seven years ago, only upgraded to be much more powerful than before. He called this creation RoboChao. And he grinned from ear to ear.

Without hesitation, he stood out of the way of his robot army and pressed the button he was holding in his hand. Immediately, every robot in the underground warehouse activated, and mindlessly marched out of the building – all except for RoboChao, who observed his surroundings and walked over to his creator.

"Estimated time since last reboot…seven years. Is the mission the same as last time?" The android inquired.

"…Yes. And this time, I guarantee you will succeed." The Professor silently laughed.

"Well, then…" RoboChao equipped his lock-on visor. "My revenge is imminent. Claire would be well advised to avoid me…for her sake."

"Man, you suck at this. If you wanna beat me, you can't just use hadoken twenty times per match…" Claire smiled and shrugged at Dominac, whom she had already beaten six times in Street Fighter II while Chao watched. Dominac just frowned. "Ok, that's enough of that! I challenge you to Soul Calibur II instead! And gosh darn it, I'm gonna win this time!" He ran over to the arcade machine over-excitedly. Claire just sighed and followed him, knowing she'd just beat him again.

While Chao observed Claire kick Dominac's butt with Yoshimitsu, he suddenly heard a noise from outside the arcade. While Claire and Dominac were focused with the game, Chao stepped outside. The air was much colder from before, and a soothing wind gently blew from the west. The atmosphere was calming…until Chao saw what was coming from the horizon. A large army of clunky, giant, similar robots came marching down the street, disregarding anything they happened to pass over. The steel battalion seemed scarily endless; the sheer number of steps seemed to be damaging and cracking the road. Chao ran inside the arcade as quickly as possible, the robots still marching outside the building's glass doors.

"Um…Claire…Dom-"

"Not now, Chao! I'm about to beat Dominac with a low-tier character…Ha! Take that! You can't even beat Maxi!" Claire smiled. Dominac slammed his hand against his face.

"Ok, done. Now, what do you ne…" Claire slowly trailed off as she noticed the robot army outside the arcade. She took a few steps forward to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Her smiled slowly turned into a frown of frustration. "N…not again…" she mumbled.

"What? What's going on?" Dominac asked, slightly worried.

Claire sighed again, mostly because she was tired of sighing so many times. "Well, they're…I mean, it's…you know the sign at the entrance? Well…um…" She scratched her head, trying to figure out how to explain it. "It'll probably help if I tell you about something that happened a long time ago. Well…seven years ago, to be exact." Seven years ago…Chao couldn't remember exactly what happened all those years ago, but that time span seemed to be stalking him…

"Well this seems like a nice hotel…well, I at least like the smells and colors. I don't really have an opinion on anything else yet." Cham noted. He, Xeg, and TTC walked out of the elevator, searching for their hotel room. The hotel had a certain freshness to it – a tasty smell lingered through the hallways, the carpet felt soft, and the colors were centered around a calming blue. It hardly felt like home, but it had another pleasant feeling. The trio reached their hotel room and opened the door with their room card. The room felt just like the hallways, but with a really nice view of the city streets in the living room.

"Well this seems like a nice hotel…most definitely this time." Cham reiterated. Xeg immediately found the TV remote, turned on the TV and plopped on the couch, flipping channels. TTC sat next to him and yawned.

"Um…don't you think we should tell Chao where our room is now…? Where will he go if we don't tell him?" TTC wondered.

"Uh…yeah. We definitely should. Like, right now. Yep, right now, we should go tell Chao where our hotel room is. Right now…" He slinked back into the bedroom and closed the door. TTC stared at the bedroom door.

"…Okaaaaaay…Xeg, isn't your hotel room across the hall?" Xeg had already fallen asleep after flipping practically through ten channels. TTC sighed and started flipping channels himself. Eventually, however, he felt a small shaking sensation under his feet. Confused, he looked around to see what could've been causing it. He glanced out the window and noticed something amazing. A huge army of giant robots were stepping down the street, practically shaking the ground around it. TTC panicked and started running around the hotel room screaming.

"EARTHQUAKE ROBOTS! OH MY GOD, MY NIGHTMARES! THEY'VE COME TRUEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Xeg was immediately awoken by TTC's obnoxious screams, and Cham came out of the bedroom confused at TTC's outbursts.

"What is the matter with you? I'm trying to dream! Can't you see I'm trying to dream…?" Xeg complained. TTC immediately stood him up, wrestler style, and pointed outside the window. Xeg angrily looked outside, but suddenly became amazed at the army of robots marching down the street. Cham joined the two at the window.

"What…IS that?" Cham asked.

"_That_ means that we need to find Dominac. And fast." Xeg replied. He hastily ran outside the door, almost running into another chao about his age. He completely ignored him, however, and ran next to the emergency stairs, waiting for Cham and TTC. The two followed him as quickly as they could, but were suddenly stopped by the purple-colored chao. He had a confident look on his face and wore a coast guard band on his forehead.

"Now hold it!" The chao paced back and forth silently, observing the McChao brothers like they were a couple of soldiers as they impatiently tapped their feet. Xeg, frustrated, signaled that he was leaving on his own and left.

"Do you mind?" Cham angrily asked. "We're in a _real_ hurry here!"

"Were you with that black chao just now?" Cham didn't care to think of a way out of the confrontation and simply nodded.

"Hmph…" He closed his eyes and wagged his finger in disapproval. "People like you make me sick…people who only further prove that chivalry is dead…that's right. People with no manners!" Cham lowered his head slowly, eyes staring up at Kumachao angrily and, quite frankly, creepily. Kumachao pretended to ignore his intimidating glare.

"But if you two really do have the manners you claim to have, then you should teach your little friend a thing or two!" the chao was silent again, and by that time both Cham and TTC had enough.

"Listen you little sucker…We've got to find our friends as fast as possible. Chao, Dominac, and Claire are still out there who-knows-where. And in case you haven't noticed, there's a vicious army of robots destroying the streets!" The chao's eyes widened, though…not for the reason Cham expected.

"You…you know _Claire!?_" The chao suddenly lost all composure and was suddenly as dizzy as a drunk driver. He began sweating bullets and smiling strangely. "A-Ahem…I ha-happen to know…erm…know exactly who that is. You know, Claire. I know who she is, and…uh…yeah. I bet…um…she…I know where she is. Ha haaa…" Cham crossed his arms, looking confused again. "You know Claire?" He asked.

"Yeah we've been friends since um elementary school eheheheh…" He replied, talking unusually fast. "My name's Kum…er…" He swallowed. "My name's Kumachao. Kumachao Omega, at your service. And if it's Claire you're after, then I'll definitely help!" Cham and TTC glanced at each other, but shrugged it off and left the hotel, Kumachao following behind.

"Ah, finally…" The quizzical chao giggled. "Another chance to prove myself!"


End file.
